ENGLAND coach Clive Woodward has leapt to the defence of Austin Healey in the wake of the winger's carpeting by Lions disciplinary chiefs for comments made in a newspaper column during the team's summer tour of Australia.

And Woodward also took a swipe at Lions coach Graham Henry and his management team, claiming they set a poor example to players by allowing a fly-on-the-wall documentary crew to follow the tour.

Healey was fined about #2,500 after an article, ghost-written by former Wales captain Eddie Butler, labelled Australian forward Justin Harrison a "plod", a "plank" and an "ape" on the eve of the Test decider - in which the Lions were subsequently defeated.

"It's rot to say it cost us the tour," Woodward told The Guardian.

"It's nonsense. He didn't have a go at the coaches, or his team-mates - he wasn't undermining the collective effort.

"I have to say when I saw his stuff the night before the game my initial reaction was to laugh."

And Woodward laid the blame for the Healey situation firmly at the door of the management team.

"I think the Lions got it wrong. The guys at the top set the wrong example," the England coach added.

"Graham Henry's going to write a book, there's a fly-on-the-wall documentary been made - you can't then turn round and tell the players what they're saying is detrimental."